Electrical control system



ELECTRI CAL CONTROL SYSTEM Filed April 25, 1942 VIBR4'ORY MOTOR m a s a WWW I //v VEN Toe CLYDE. W. BAIED) BY 6&4 I m I Patented July 6, 1943 Clyde W. Baird, Columbus, Ohio, assignor to The 'lraylor Vibrator Company, a corporation Application 25, 1942, Serial No. 440,502 4 Claims. (Cl. 1-12-24) This invention relates to an electrical control system and an object of the invention is to provide an improved system for controlling the frequency of impulses delivered to a vibratory electro-magnetic motor either alone orin combination with means to control the amplitude of vibration thereof.

Other objects of the invention will appear hereinafter, the novel features and combinations being set forth iii-the appended claims. In-the accompanying drawing, the single figure is a wiring diagram of the system comprising my invention. I

Electro-magnetic motors have been employed as parts of vibratory screens, feeders, conveyors,

per second may be delivered to the vibratory motor from a 60 cycle source, thus producing vibration of the said vibratory motor at a frequency of 30 cycles per second, or 1800 vibrations per minute. In the accompanying draw,-

' ing I have shown a system to produce the above barrel packers and the like, and one illustration 1 of such a motor in connection with a screen is found in r the patent to James A. Flint, No. 2,153,243, dated April 4, 1939. Another illustration of such a motor in connection with a vibratory feeder is found in the patent to Earle V. Francis, No. 2,161,342, dated June 6, 1939, which illustrations are two of the many structures which embody suchvibratory motors. When such motors are employed to vibrate relatively heavy masses, in other words, when the vibratory decks of screens, conveyors and the like, are relatively heavy, it is generally desirable to reduce appreciably the frequency of vibration thereof below that which would be produced if the vibratory motor were energized directly from a source of alternating current having a frequency such as 60 cycles, which is generally that commercially available.

Numerous devices have been used to reduce by a half the frequency of vibration of such motors compared to what it would be if energized from the raw alternating current but this reduction is sometimes inadequate, particularly where the decks are heavy, as above mentioned. For example if a vibratory motor of the type illustrated in either of the above mentioned patents is energized fromv raw or straight alternating current the deck will vibrate at twice its frequency or 7200 cycles per minute, if the source has a frequency of 60 cycles per second. By employing a rectifier or by employing "mixed current" the frequency of vibration can be made the same as that of the frequency of the source.

In the system of my invention the frequency of the impulses delivered to the vibratory motor is a submultiple of the frequency of the source of alkrnating-current and, for example, may be one-half, one-third, etc. As a' typical illustra tion, impulses having a frequency of 30 cycles ductors Ii and I2.

' tube i5.

desired results which also includes as a desirable, though not an essential, part thereof means for controlling or adjusting the ampli- Referring to said drawing, it will be seen that I have provided a vibratory motor, so designated therein, which may have the construction of either of the above mentioned patents. Said vibratory motor includes a field coil ill supplied with current from an alternating current source, not shown, from which extend main line con- Conductor Ii is connected directly to one terminal of the field coil III of said vibratory motor. Conductor l2 extends to the center tap of a secondary winding Ii of a transformer N, the outer terminals of which winding extend to the cathode or filament of a three electrode electron discharge power tube l5, preferablyof the gaseous type, the plate or anode of which is connected to the other terminal of the field coil 10. r

The circuit above described comprisesthe power circuit. for the vibratorymotor and includes as an important part thereof the power If no control were provided for the control electrode or grid, or, in other words, for the input or grid-cathode circuit of the tube 15, it is evident that it would act as a halfway rectifier and deliver direct current impulses to the winding Ill at a frequency corresponding to the frequency of the alternatingcurrent de livered to conductors Ii and [2. In other words, if the frequency of the alternating current were cycles, the frequency of vibration of the motornwould also be'60 cycles. To reduce this frequency of vibration to one-half, one-third, onefourth, etc., and also to provide means to control the amplitude of vibration thereof, I provide additional control mechanism now to be described.

The grid or input circuit of the tube ll may be traced as extending from the arid t ereof through current limiting resistor l6, frequency controlling resistor ll, then by way of conductor It, to the secondary of a transformer i9, then by conductor 20 to the center tap of a secondary 2| of transformer I, then through conductors connected to the outer terminals of said secondary 2| across which is connected a resistor 22 with which is associated a variable tap 23 which is connected to conductor l2, which as previously described, leads to the center tap of secondary winding II the outer terminals of which are connected to the cathode or filament of tube It. It may be stated that the voltage produced across resistor I1 is employed to control the tube I! to determine the frequency of the impulses delivered to the vibratory motor and the resultant of the voltages developed in transformer I8 and the superposed voltage determined by the position of the tap 23 operates by the phase shift method to determine the current flowing in the plate or output circuit of the tube II and through the field coil II of the vibratory motor-J This amplitude control apparatus will be described first. The primary of transformer I8 is connected across conductors II and it, through a phase shifting condenser 24, an said transformer I 3 and condenser 24 act so that the voltage produced on the secondary of transformer II, which is superposed on the grid circuit of tube ll, preferably lags by substantially 90 degrees the voltage on conductors II and I2, or, in other words, the plate or output voltage of tube II. It is evident that the voltage which is added to this alternating current voltage by virtue of the secondary 2| and tap 28 can be varied in phase relation by substantially 180 degrees. For example, if the tap 23 is in the central position as illustrated, the voltage superposed on said grid circuit by said secondary 2| and resistor 22 will be substantially zero. If the tap 23 is moved to the bottom position it will have one maximum value and a phase relation which is 180 degrees different from what the phase relation would be if said tap were moved to the topmost position. In other words, by moving the tap 23 from one of its extreme positions to the other, the voltage superposed on the grid circuit of the secondary 2| and resistor 22 may be shifted substantially 180 degrees. This voltage when added to the 90 degrees lagl fl voltage produced by the transformer l8 and condenser 24, is suflicient so that the resultant of the two voltages produced by these two combinations which is superposed on the grid circuit of tube I! may shift said grid voltage so that it is substantially entirely in phase with the plate voltage, thereby producing maximum current fiow to the vibrator motor and maximum amplitude of vibration, or said grid voltage may be shifted substantially 180 degrees out of phase with respect to said plate voltage to produce substantially zero current flow. In short, by shifting the position of the tap 23, the amplitude of vibration of the vibratory motor may be adjusted to any value from zero to a maximum.

It may be stated that-the frequency control is effected by producing a pulsating direct current voltage on resistor II, the pulsations having a frequency which is a sub-multiple of the frequency of the source of alternating current, and whenever this voltage is present on said resistor II it produces a sufficient negative bias so that the tube I8 will be non-conducting. If this pulsating voltage on resistor l'l has a frequency of 30 cycles per second that would be the frequency of the vibrations of the vibratory motor. Any other sub-multiple frequency on resistor I! will produce a similar sub-multiple frequency of vibration of said vibratory motor. To produce this frequency control direct current pulsating voltage across resistor I1 I employ a circuit, now to be described.

Branching from conductors II and I2 are conductors 25 and 26 which connect to the primary winding of transformer II and thus energizes this transformer. In addition to the two secondaries of said transformer which were previously described it includes two additional secondaries, one secondary 21 providing filament current for two indirectly heated cathode vacuum tubes 23 and 29, the first of which is an oscillator tube and the second of which is a rectifier tube. Another secondary 38 of said transformer ll produces a source of plate voltages for the tubes 28 and 29. The plate or output circuit of said tubes 28 and 29 may be traced from the top of said secondary to the two plates of oscillator tube 28 in parallel, then to the cathode of said tube 28,then by way of conductor II to the cathode of rectifier tube 28, then to the two plates of tube 28 which are connected in parallel to one terminal of resistor II. The circuit is completed through resistor II, the other terminal of which is connected to conductor 32 which leads to the bottom terminal of .said secondary 30. The tube 28 is part ofsn oscillating generator which is provided by connecting the grid thereof to one terminal of a tuned circuit formed by inductance 38 and condenser ll connected in parallel. The other terminal of the tuned circuit 83, 34 is connected to conductor 32. The center tsp of the inductance 33 is connected to conductor 3|. This provides the necessary tuned circuit in the grid-cathode or input circuit of tube 28 to produce an oscillating generator in a manner well understood in the art. The tuned circuit is tuned substantially in resonance with a submultiple of the voltage produced on secondary 3|) which, of course, has the same frequency as that on conductors H and I2. As a consequence the oscillator including the tube 28 and tuned circuit 33, 34 will oscillate at this sub-multiple frequency which may be one-half, one-third or one-fourth, etc., of the frequency of the applied or plate voltage. As is well known, there is a tendency for an oscillator to lock in at a submultiple frequency where the tuned circuit is tuned approximately or exactl to said submultiple frequency. Consequently the current flowing through the rectifier 29 will be rectified, and pulsating direct current flowing through winding 13 will produce a pulsating direct current voltage across the terminals of said resistor H which will have the said sub-multiple frequency.

As previously pointed out, this sub-multiple frequency direct current pulsating voltage on resistor ll will control the frequency of discharge of the power tube l5 and consequently will control the frequency of the vibratory motor.

In operation of the system, pulsating direct current impulses will be delivered to the coils ll of the vibratory motor at a sub-multiple frequency determined by the tuning of the tuned circuit 33, 3|. This may be set at any value and preferably once it is set is fixed, because the vibratory motor is preferably tuned to a frequency at least near to, if not exactly, in resonance with the frequency of the impulses delivered to said field coil iii.

The amplitude of vibration of the vibratory motor is readily controlled by the simple expedient of adjusting the variable tap 23 which ad justs the phase relation of the alternating current voltage on the input circuit of tube IS with reference to the output circuit thereof, thus producing a phase shift type of current control for said tube l5.

of a source of alternating current, means for supplying pulsating current to said motor from sa d source. said pulsations having a frequency which is a sub-multiple of the frequency of said source, said means including an oscillation generator energized from said alternating current source and includ ng a tuning circuit tuned to a submultiple of the frequency of said source, means for rectifying the output of said oscillator to produce a pulsating voltage having a frequency which is determined by said tuned circuit at a sub-multiple of the frequency of said source, a power circuit for said motor including said source of alternating current and a power electron tube having a control electrode, means whereby said control electrode is controlled by said pulsating voltage to control the frequency of current impulses delivered by said power tube to said motor, and means for controlling the amplitude of vibrationtof said motor including mechanism to provide a "dating current voltage on said control electrode which is shiftable in phase relation to said source of alternating current.

2. In an electrical system, the combination 7 with a vibratory electro-magnetic motor, of a power circuit therefor including a source of alternating current and a power electron discharge tube having a control electrode, circuit means for imposing an alternating current voltage on the control electrode of said power tube, means for varying the phase relation of said imposed voltage relative to said source of alternating current to control the amplitude of vibration of said motor, and means for also imposing on said control electrode a frequency controlling pulsating direct current voltage having a frequency which is a sub-multiple of the frequency of said source of alternating current.

3. In an electrical system, the combination with a vibratory electro-magnetic motor, of 1 power circuit therefor including a source of alternating current and a power electron discharge tube having a control electrode, circuit means for imposing an alternating current voltage on the control electrode of said power tube, means for varying the phase relation of said imposed voltage relative to said source of alternating current to control the amplitude of vibration of said m0- tor, and means for also imposing on said control electrode a frequency controlling voltage having a frequency which is a sub-multiple of the frequency of said source of alternating current.

4. An electrical control circuit including an oscillation generator, a source of alternating current for energizing said generator, said generator including a tuned circuit tuned to a sub-multiple of the frequency of said alternating current and connected to said oscillation generator, and means including a rectifier for producing'direct current impulses from said source of alternating current having a frequency determined by said tuned circuit.

CLYDE W. BAIRD. 

